The Bard's Tale
by Sydney Alexis
Summary: J/P standard shuttle crash told by Gabrielle (from Xena) to Naomi. Not a huge x-over aspect. This is my first attempt at this style. Please let me know how I did.


  
  


# The Bard's Tale

  


## Sydney Alexis

  


Rating: PG.

Part: 1/1

Pairing: J/P (of course)

Synopsis: Obligatory shuttle story told in the style of the ancient bard. (In this case as Gabrielle on _Xena_)

  


* * *

  


"I sing the song of Captain Janeway. Her status carved in battle and her personal life by tragedy. Forcing herself to separate her being into two personas, she all but gave up her female side, Kathryn, until a wanderer broke through her self-made hell and forced her to live again.

"He stood slightly taller than she. With hair of sand, eyes of the ocean, and a smile of pearls, his appearance would make any woman's heart beat faster. But it wasn't only his looks that drew Kathryn from her sleep. The man's bravery and humor cinched the attraction. I am, however, getting ahead of myself. It all started with a short mission into the Badlands..."

Gabrielle sank back into her chair, smiling at the reaction the young girl was giving her. Though she couldn't recall the first time Naomi had come to listen to her stories, she had quickly grown attached to the little girl.

Naomi crinkled her nose at the older woman. "Ah, Gabrielle, I already know how the story starts. We got trapped here by the Caretaker Array."

"All right. I'll skip ahead a little bit," Gabrielle said, smiling.

Naomi fidgeted a bit, finally settling back on the rug in front of the now pacing bard.

"Captain Janeway and Tom were trapped in their shuttle hundreds of miles beneath the surface of a planet. Hiding from their pursuers, they were forced to seal themselves in a cave. Their only hope was that Voyager could find them...

'Looks like we're going to be here awhile,' Tom said, sighing. He began to run a diagnostic of ship's systems.

'Warning. Life support is failing,' the computer intoned. 

"They both ran their hands over the consoles in the front of them.

'I can't access back-up power. I'll pour what's left in, but it won't last more than twenty minutes,' Tom said.

'What about environmental suits?' Janeway asked, after confirming his readouts.

'No good. They were damaged during the attack.'

'It's a Class-L planet still in the early stages of forming. The atmosphere isn't breathable...not enough free oxygen.' she said aloud, more to herself than him. 

'Looks like all we can do is sit tight and wait,' Tom said, moving towards the back of the shuttle.

Naomi gasped and jumped to her feet. "You mean they are going to die?" 

Gabrielle approached the little girl, and kneeled in front of her. "Would I tell you a story like that?"

Naomi nodded her head yes. "What about the Lost Mariner? Trapped on that ship for 300 years...or when Xena met Ulysses...or when she had to kill Marcus...or..." 

Gabrielle raised her hand to stop the little girl's train of thought. "Point taken. I guess you're just going to have to trust me when I say there is a happy ending. That is if you want to hear the rest..."

"Of course, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle sat down in front of Naomi, resting her staff across her legs. "Now, where was I? Oh yeah...The mighty captain was trapped with Tom on an inhospitable planet, millions of miles from help. Realizing that every moment that passed brought her one step closer to Hades' domain. The call of Alyssian Fields was harder than she could ever imagine..." 

"After engaging the distress beacon, Janeway followed Tom into the back of the shuttle. He was sitting on a biobed a few feet from her running a dermal regenerator over a cut on his arm.

'Why didn't you tell me you'd been hurt?'

'It's just a scratch,' he said, turning the device off.

"Life support failure in fifteen minutes," the computer's voice droned.

"I don't suppose you could turn that off."

'I'm afraid I can't...protocol,' Janeway said, sliding onto the biobed beside him.

He ignored her words and allowed his own thoughts to stumble forward 'Do you think...I mean are we...'

"Kathryn regarded him with such a sad expression on her face. The fear was clear within his crystal blue eyes. For the first time, realization of their impending death loomed over her... 

'I don't know,' she said, simply. 'I suppose I always thought I would go out with more of a bang,' she added, laughing lightly. 

'Me too. I thought that I would either die by the hands of a pilot better than I am or of old age. But this,' he said motioning towards their surrounds. 'I guess I finally tested the Fates too many times.' 

"What is it like to die, Gabrielle? Do you really see your life pass before your eyes?" Naomi interjected into the small gap the bard had allowed.

"For me, it did. I saw the progression of my life from the innocent little girl that I was to the warrior I became. You mostly see the major events in your life. Like the day I met Xena, the adventures we went on...like Troy, and the day Callisto changed my life forever..."

"And Alyssian Fields?" 

"Alyssian Fields is beautiful. Trees, flowers, grass...it was the most serene setting you can imagine but, more than anything, it was peaceful. Every ache of the mind and body was gone. No one was upset, lost, alone, depressed. It was perfection."

"You mean like the Nexus? Seven told me all about it. She said that it actually convinced one of the Borg ships to stay...until the Queen destroyed them."

"This Nexus sounds like a good setting for a story."

Naomi lowered her head. "You said it was perfection, but you still left people behind."

"I did. I left Xena. That was the hardest part. I _knew_ when she was thinking of me, but I couldn't comfort her."

"Then was it really that perfect?"

"I knew she would be with me soon. I also knew she would learn to move on. You're getting me off topic again, young lady. You know your Uncle will be here to pick you up soon."

Naomi nodded her head. "Please finish the story, Gabrielle." 

"Voyager was at least two hours away at their last contact, and they weren't expecting to rendezvous with them for another hour. The situation was growing grim. Ever the optimist...well, the more optimistic of the pair, Tom did his best to comfort the captain...

'Captain, they'll find us,' Tom said.

"Janeway sighed in response. She wasn't sure if he said it more to ease his own fears or hers. Regardless, everything was becoming blurred. Her eyes were tearing. Lightly, she chided herself for being so weak..."

Naomi shifted position again. "But Gabrielle, Captain Janeway would never cry like that...it's just not like her to..."

"Even warriors cry. She knew she was about to die on that shuttle, or at least that is what she thought. Besides, I wasn't there..." 

"So, you're lying?" 

Gabrielle gave an exasperated sigh. This little girl was starting to remind her of a tiny version of Joxer. "I'm not lying. Just call it poetic license. Now, be still while I finish the story." 

"Yes ma'am." 

"Janeway allowed her posture to slip slightly, sinking forward and letting her shoulders fall... 

'Not unless Chakotay has become psychic, Lieutenant,' she said, softly.

'Stranger things have happened.'

'Life support failure in ten minutes.'

'Mind if I ask you a personal question, Captain?'

"Janeway's eyebrow arched but she nodded yes slowly. 

'Did you and Chakotay ever...' he left his voice trail off slightly.

"Janeway looked down at her hands. They were folded neatly in her lap. Of all the questions that he could have asked he went for the most direct.

'No,' she said, simply.

'But surely...on New Earth...,'

'We'd come close then, but I never allowed it. I was in love with the idea of being in love. My feelings for him became mixed up as I realized he really was the last man on earth,' she said honestly.

"Tom suppressed the urge to laugh. The expression on her face stopped him. Her eyes had a distant look to them, and she was visibly shaking.

'Wasn't there anyone on this ship that you loved?'

"Kathryn nodded her head yes again, but wouldn't meet his gaze. She stared straight ahead at a bulkhead. An emotionless mask affixed firmly in place.

'Why didn't you tell him?'

'Protocol, fear of rejection...take your pick,' she said, sighing.

'Or scared that he felt the same way,' Tom said, placing his hand on her face on instinct. An odd expression crossed her face. Rather than pulling away as he had expected, she turned into his touch.

'You're very perceptive, Mr. Paris.' 

'Life support failure in five minutes.'

"Kathryn finally emerged. Dragged out not only by the lack of reservation but also the intimate touch Tom had just made. He caressed her face like that of a lover and not as an officer. She smiled sweetly at him and leaned her body against his.

"Unable to believe her actions, questioning his own conclusions, his mind foggy from lack of oxygen, he formed a response to her vague answers. 'So, who was the lucky man?'

'Mmm...I'm sure you've figured it out by now.'

'Indugle me.'

"Kathryn rolled her eyes at him, but smiled. 'You, silly'

"But Gabrielle, the Captain would never..." 

"Naomi, have you ever been hit by Cupid's arrow?" 

"Well, no." 

"Love is stronger than any other emotion that Zeus saw fit to give to man. It can fill you, but it can also make you mad...in both senses of the word. It certainly made me do a few things I am not proud of, but it saved me more times than I can count." 

Naomi nodded her head in understanding at the bard. "All right, but I still say that Captain would never roll her eyes or call him silly. Sounds more like something you would say." 

"Don't be silly. Now, let me finish the story." 

Gabrielle stood and begin pacing the room again. "With all the remaining power filtered into the life support system, the only light in the cabin was directly above their heads. It shimmered down from the atop the biobed onto them like a single candle burning against the night's sky. The flame dancing on their skin coloring it a soft orange. From the dim light, Kathryn watched a dozen emotions flicker across Tom's face. Everything from shock to disbelief. He could feel his heart beat racing in his chest, not remembering if it started to moment she leaned against him or at her admission. The sensations of being touched so intimately by Kathryn Janeway were still being processed by his mind. 

"Tom searched his mind for something clever to say. Anything to lighten the mood...make her laugh. 'You sure picked a time to tell me, Kathryn.' 

"She laughed in response. 'Dying does that to people. It makes you realize...say things...you thought you never would.'

"A mutual silence passed between them as they were lost in their own thoughts. It was broken by the computer's voice.'Life support failure in two minutes.' 

"Kathryn's eyes grew heavy. They fluttered open and closed until she gave into temptation and laid her head in his lap.

"Tom tensed at her action, growing more concerned as her breathing grew more ragged. From his medical training, he knew she was dying. His chest tightened the moment his mind finally acknowledged the symptoms.

'Stay with me, Kathryn,' he urged.

"She moaned in return. Her head pounding. All she wanted to do was give in...in the distance, she could just faintly make out the image of a field. It was covered in soft, green grass and shaded by a large oak tree. The sweet smell of gardenias wafted towards her. Most of all, she felt an inner peace spreading through her. A voice filtered through the images...masculine and familiar...it was begging her to come back. 

'Kathryn, please...I know you can hear me. You can't leave me.' 

"She forced her eyes open again, and saw worried look on Tom's face.'I have no intention of doing so just yet,' she said. 'Just keep talking to me. I always did love the sound of your voice.' 

Tom ran his hand along her jaw-line absentmindedly. 'When I was a boy, my mother told me an old story that dates back to Greek mythology.'

'Oh?'

"Tom paused trying to recall the exact wording his mother had used. She was a much better story teller than he. 'When man was first created, he had two heads and four legs. One day, Zeus grew tired of the way his creatures looked. At Hera's suggestion, he sent down a flurry of thunderbolts. Every man was split in half so that each had one head and two legs... So each man spends his lifetime looking for his other half...' He allowed his voice to trail off, becoming all too aware of his hand caressing her face. 

'Did you ever find your other half, Tom?' Kathryn asked.

'Yes,' he said, choking out the word.

'Did you ever tell her that you loved her?' She asked in a wistful tone.

'I just did,' he whispered.

'Life support at 3%. Failure in ten seconds,' the computer said in an even voice.

"Tom laid down beside her and drew her into his arms. Her uneven breath on his face mesmerized him so that he began silently thanking the gods with his last breaths that They had given him this one last gift; dying in his Kathryn's arms having known and realized their feelings for each other. She smiled at him. It was a genuine expression that brightened her eyes, and showed him what true peace was."

"But, Gabrielle, you said no one died... you said there would be a happy ending," Naomi said, tears streaming down her face.

"I haven't finished the story yet," Gabrielle said, wiping away the little girl's tears.

"But there is no way that anyone could save them. You said Voyager was hours away. There is no way that..."

"Every once and awhile the Gods shine down upon us. Sometimes in an act of mercy or to help us when we are in need," Gabrielle explained. 

"No one is supposed to interfere with death though; you can't cheat it. You told me that yourself." 

"True, but the Gods do have power over others not in the path of the Fates. Aphrodite was so touched at her son's latest pairing that she decided to send Chakotay a vision during his meditation. Now, would you stop? You are _ruining_ the flow of the story and spoiling the surprise ending." 

"Oh, sorry, Gabrielle." 

"Faced by Death herself, Kathryn and Tom thought that they were drawing in their last breaths together. When a voice echoed through the cabin louder than a dozen thunderbolts." 

'Voyager to away team,' Chakotay's voice said through their comm link.

'Janeway here. Good to hear your voice, Commander.'

'We'll have you out of their in a few seconds. Chakotay out.

Kathryn returned to meet Tom's gaze. 'I never thought I would tell you this, but I love you too, Tom,' she said just as the blue beam of the transporter surrounded them."

"So what happened next, Gabrielle?" Naomi asked.

Gabrielle sat back and opened her mouth in preparation to respond.

"You're going to have to wait until next time, Naomi. It's time for bed," Tom said, appearing in the doorway.

"Ah, but Uncle Tom, I want to hear the end."

"It's still being written," he said, taking her hand. "Computer, save program and end."   
  
[Comments?][1]   
  
[Home][2]

   [1]: mailto:sydney_alexis@go.com
   [2]: http://homepages.go.com/~sydney_alexis/index.html



End file.
